Things I've Noticed

Quick Quote on Knowledge

"It is more virtuous to share what you know than it is to show what you know."

+ Atul

Ethical Standards: From Normal People to Celebrities to Corporations

As I hear about scandals in the political arena as well as in sports, or business, I often wonder where the need for ethics begins and ends.  For normal people, ethics is very important.  Loyalty and perceived integrity spreads with your actions and people you know may choose to treat you differently depending on how they see you.  If you have a job, one false ethical move means that you could be fired and even blacklisted for other jobs once other potential employers find out about what you have done.

Then there are athletes and entertainers.  For some reason, their skills trump any negative actions they might partake in.  Sex scandals, embezzlement, prejudicial comments, violent actions...  None of them seem to matter.  There's always a job waiting for these people because of their apparent talent and the value our society puts on them.  More interestingly, their careers may even get a boost from actions that normal people could never get away with.  Any type of publicity is good for those in the public spotlight.

So once we get past people, it's obvious that corporations also don't have to have ethics.  I'm not saying that none of them do, but many corporations practice an extreme focus on profits, (their reason for being).  For some reason, we let them get away with not having ethics when it comes to how they treat their employees, their customers, their governments, the planet.   Some companies fire employees with email messages, there's no loyalty, and their skills are generally expendable.  They often get away with fooling customers with shady offers, reducing the content of products by hiding it.  They often fight any environmental regulations with intensive lobbying efforts.  They typically seem to find ways to avoid taxes or get abatement. 

But then, some of this is our fault.  We are consumers who look for the lowest price to buy lots of stuff from companies who cut costs the most and we buy stock in companies that are quick to chop heads without holding them accountable for bad management.  We keep going to movies and games of those celebrities who are just plain bad people.

It seems like there's a correlation between how ethical you have to be and how much money you control.  It seems like I've just uncovered another reason to want to be rich.

+ Atul

Thomas Payne Has Rolled Over in His Grave

Ville is up as this week's Roundtable blogger on this most unfortunate day.  She is writing to mourn the passing of Common Sense.  Thomas Paine is not happy either, even though he's dead.  Have a visit to Ville's blog, "This Is Where I Talk and You Listen" to share some kind words about Common Sense like you would at a funeral.  He was a good soul who kept things in order and now that he is gone, our society will go haywire.

+ Atul